April 2009 Archives

Fergus Black, Independent

Ireland's greatest export U2 have seen their wealth drop by 14pc as the recession bites.

And the fortune of "super hoofer" Michael Flatley has plunged by more than a third, according to the latest millionaires rich list.

But there was better news for singer Enya, golfer Padraig Harrington and footballers Damien Duff and Robbie Keane who also feature among the top millionaires.

Described as the definitive guide to the fortunes of the 250 richest people in Ireland and the 1,000 richest in Britain, the Sunday Times Rich List, will be published this weekend.

The list charts the dramatic falls and some surprising rises in the value of the assets in both countries' wealthiest individuals, but a sneak preview gives some indication of the rise and fall in some of the fortunes of well-known stars.

Josh Grossberg, E! Online

Los Angeles (E! Online) - You might say The Edge is having boundary issues.
The U2 guitarist's plans to build five mountaintop mansions in Malibu with fantastic oceanside views is facing fierce opposition from some famous NIMBYs concerned the homes will be an environmental catastrophe.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the proposed project would be built above homes belonging to the likes of Dick Van Dyke, Kelsey Grammer and James Cameron and would require some extensive and tricky engineering, including extension of a road down a rugged elevation, grading 70,000 cubic yards of hillside and installing water lines.

"The downside of this is a permanently scarred mountainside for the benefit of a very few that for many years all will view," Jefferson Wagner, a Malibu councilman, told the newspaper.

The music giant will provide videos from its biggest acts for a new channel on YouTube

Dawn C. Chmielewski, The Los Angeles Times

U2 lead singer Bono, well known for his ONE campaign against poverty, has turned his focus to a charity case closer to home: the ailing music industry.

The rocker is credited with bringing together Universal Music Group, the world's biggest music company, and YouTube, Google Inc.'s online video site, for talks that on Thursday resulted in a partnership to launch a music video service featuring professionally produced content from the label's big-name acts.

YouTube will create a dedicated channel on its site, to be called Vevo, where users can watch music videos from Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Weezer and other Universal artists. Later this year, Universal and YouTube will debut a separate online music video site, Vevo.com, where viewers can watch music videos from Universal's library. YouTube will provide the underlying technology, Universal will furnish the content, and the partners will split the advertising revenue.

Paul Sexton, Billboard

U2 begins a fourth week atop European Top 100 Albums with No Line on the Horizon (Mercury/Universal), while the European Hot 100 Singles survey is headed for a sixth week by Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" (Interscope/Universal).

Horizon has three remaining No. 1 berths across the region, in Portugal, Greece and Hungary, but falls from the top in Spain, Italy, Switzerland and the Belgian region of Flanders. Lady Gaga continues to lie in wait for U2 to relinquish top spot on the composite chart, with The Fame at No. 2 again, after making climbs of 7-3 in the United Kingdom and 6-4 in Switzerland. But the set is down 1-2 in both Ireland and Austria.